


Bet on Me

by flannelfeelings



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Amy Santiago Loves Jake Peralta, Banter, Budding Love, Canon Divergent, Denial of Feelings, Developing Relationship, Early in Canon, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s01e13 The Bet, F/M, Falling In Love, Flirting, Fluff, Happy Ending, Jake Is Bad At Feelings, Jake Peralta Loves Amy Santiago, Mutual Pining, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Takes place during the bet, Teasing, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, but mild, what if amy won the bet instead of jake?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:46:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25046344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flannelfeelings/pseuds/flannelfeelings
Summary: In 1x13 "The Bet" Jake beats Amy in a competition for the most arrests and takes her on an insane date, which is the spark for their budding relationship.What if Amy had won instead?
Relationships: Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago
Comments: 3
Kudos: 123





	Bet on Me

**Author's Note:**

> hi! here is a lil thing exploring what i think may have went down if amy won the bet instead of jake! soulmates in my eyes!! takes place during 1x13 (the bet)   
> unbeta'd so sorry for mistakes!
> 
> i hope you enjoy and let me know ur thoughts!

Jake’s lungs burned as he sprinted through the crowded streets of Brooklyn, dodging a hot dog cart and two florists as his sneakers squealed against the pavement. Sweat dewed on the back of his neck at the edge of his jacket collar, despite the frigid temperatures outside. He had to make it. He had to make it.

His feet crossed the threshold of the 99th precinct and he shoved through uniformed officers, barreling toward the stairs as he screamed, “Get out of my way! We have a bet!”

He took the stairs two at a time, racing into the bullpen as he gasped for air, trying to allow his lungs to catch up with his body. Amy was standing next to their joint desks, looking at her watch with a smug expression.

“That’s it Peralta!” Amy called to him as he stumbled over toward her, “Final tally is up. I win!”

No, it wasn’t possible. Jake’s eyes widened as he looked at the whiteboard, realizing the double collar he’d just booked didn’t bring him over Amy’s total, because she had added four tally marks to her score.

“How?” He panted, waving at the board in confusion.

“I busted a coke deal down by one of my informant's old spots.” She smirked, “So I believe that I won our bet. Not only do I not have to suffer through an awful night with you..” she grinned, “You owe me your car!”

 _No no no no_ , this wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Jake had a plan- he’d made deposits, he had their entire night laid out perfectly. He was supposed to get a date with Amy.

Amy held her hands out smugly, “Keys, Peralta!”

“Wait, Amy-” Jake began, but was quickly cut off.

“Uh-huh Peralta.” Terry shook his head at his desk, “You had a deal, don’t try to weasel out now. You’ve been teasing her for weeks about the awful date you were going to put her through.”

Though it was physically painful for him, Jake fished in his jeans pocket and pulled out his car key. Grimacing, he removed his apartment key and reluctantly held the car key out to Amy, who snatched it up eagerly.

“Are you really going to blow it up?” he whined.

Amy chuckled, “That’s none of your business, it’s _my_ car now!”

Jake watched her parade around the precinct, bragging to everyone who’d been privy to the bet. Dejectedly, he moved to his desk and tried not to listen to her giddy excitement as she discussed her evil plans for his Mustang.

* * *

Later that evening found Jake staring at the bottom of an empty glass in his lowly illuminated kitchen. In front of him was a pile of charges for all the non-refundable deposits he’d put in for their date, expecting to win. Foolishly, hoping to win.

A part of him obviously knew that Amy may win...but he wanted to believe she wouldn’t. Because honestly, a big part of him _wanted_ to go on the date with her. Even though most of the night was going to be teasing her and making her miserable...he was really looking forward to spending a sustained amount of time with her, no work, just the two of them.

Now he had no shot at that. Not to mention, his car was being destroyed as he sat there.

He didn’t even want to think about what complicated pyrotechnics Amy had arranged for the event. He wondered if he’d ever get another chance to hangout with her outside of work. Would he have to ask her for a rematch? He didn’t know if he could take another hit like tonight.

As Jake was about to get up and head into the bedroom to mope in there, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He removed it to see Amy’s name light up the screen, and sighed. Probably calling to rub it in.

“You’ve reached a public transit customer.” He answered lightly, hoping she wouldn’t be able to tell how screwed up this whole thing had him.

“Jake!” her voice came through urgently, a bit panicked.

“Amy?” Jake sat up a little straighter, brows creasing in a frown at the tone of her voice, “What’s going on is everything okay?”

“I need your help.” She admitted reluctantly.

“What’s going on?” he repeated, trying not to let the genuine concern seep into his voice, despite how worried he was that she hadn’t answered if she was okay.

“Can you just meet me on Cypress?” she asked.

That wasn’t too far from him, he could jump on the subway and be there in five minutes, “Okay Amy. I’m on my way.”

The call disconnected and he put his phone back in his pocket, stuffing his feet into some sneakers and throwing his jacket on as he headed for the door without a second thought. His only motivation was to get to Amy and make sure she was okay.

The subway was nearly empty at this time of night, and he fiddled nervously with his hands as he watched the streets zoom by. A normally short drive felt like it was taking forever.

When the train finally stopped, he was the first one out of his seat, rushing through the doors and up the stairs. Cypress was relatively deserted, except for a few parked cars and some people walking home from dinner. He realized he wasn’t far from Amy’s apartment, and noticed his Mustang pulled over by the curb.

Jake’s legs picked up in a run toward the car. He approached to find Amy in the driver seat, and she gave him a shy wave through the driver side window, patting the passenger seat. Confused, Jake walked around and climbed in, looking at her with inquiry.

“What the hell Amy?” He demanded, “I thought there was an emergency.”

“Why?” she shrugged, “I never said that.”

Jake rolled his eyes, but then glanced down to where her hands were nervously clenched around the wheel, “So...you haven’t bombed the car.”

“No.” She shook her head, meeting his eyes genuinely, “I was never going to do that, Jake.”

His brows creased down even further, “Then...what…?”

Amy sighed, shoulders sagging in defeat, “I’m trying to teach myself to drive stick.” she confessed, “And I _suck_. I keep stalling out, I can’t even pull off the curb.”

A short, disbelieving laugh broke out of Jake’s chest, and he shook his head as he tried to contain his laughter. Amy threw her hands up in offense.

“What’s so damn funny?!” she demanded.

Jake finally calmed his laughter and said, “You stole my car from me and now you want _me_ to teach you to drive it?!”

“I didn’t steal it, Peralta! I won it fair and square!” Amy’s voice was shrill and defensive.

“Alright, fair enough.” Jake conceded, shaking his head. Amy was nothing if not consistent. Besides...this was an excuse to spend time with her, and he wasn’t going to say no to that.

“Okay, is your foot on the clutch?” he asked.

Amy moved her foot in accordance, and replied, “It is now.”

“Alright, press it to the floor and hold it. Make sure the car is in neutral, and then turn on the ignition.” he instructed.

Amy nodded nervously, shifting gears and slowly turning the ignition. She flinched as she did so, but the car started smoothly, crooning to life as she did so. She glanced over at Jake as if seeking validation.

“Good start.” He told her, “Now you’re gonna want to press the brake with your other foot and put the car in first gear.”

Amy inhaled slowly, as if steeling herself to do it. But, brave girl she was, she followed his orders to a T.

“Let go of the brake.” Jake said, “The car is gonna move, but just a little. Don’t let it scare you.”

Amy looked sideways at Jake, her nervousness visible in her eyes. She chewed on her lip reluctantly.

“Hey, you got this.” Jake assured her.

“Okay.” She said, and released the brake. The car lurched forward slightly, but that was normal. Amy glanced frantically at him, and he threw her a thumbs up.

“Okay, so now you just gently release the pressure on the clutch and press down on the accelerator.” he instructed.

“And...and then we’ll be driving?” Amy asked.

Jake snorted, “No, it’ll catapult us into the sky.”

“Peralta!” Amy growled.

“Yes, Santiago. We’ll be driving, slow as hell. C’mon, I don’t have all night.”

“Yeah right.” She scoffed, “I know for a fact your plans for tonight got cancelled.”

Jake shot her a glare, “Move the car before I do it for you.”

Amy smirked but focused back on the road, gently releasing the clutch and pushing on the accelerator. The car jerked forward clumsily and Amy cried out, slamming on the brake a little frantically. Their bodies both hit the seats roughly and the engine gurgled quietly.

“Jake!” Amy’s voice was frightened.

“Hey, it’s alright!” He reached over and placed a hand on the wheel to steady it, “You didn’t stall it, it’s okay. Just let go of the brake and then clutch gradually, and go slow on the accelerator.”

Amy inhaled and exhaled slowly, nodding as she took in his words, “Okay. Okay. I can do this. I’m a detective. I’m a badass.”

Jake snorted, “I mean, you use a rubber thumb guard when you read.”

Amy shot him a glare, “Protecting myself from paper cuts does not undercut my badassery!”

“Hit the damn gas, Santiago.”

She turned back to the road and gently followed his orders. The car slowly nudged forward, pulling out onto the street at a snail’s pace, but moving forward smoothly. They began rolling down Cypress toward the next intersection.

“I’m doing it!” Amy squealed excitedly, “I’m driving a stick-shift!”

Jake found himself unable to look over at her, the smile creasing his cheeks was so wide it almost hurt. He forced himself to wipe it off quickly. There was nothing adorable about how happy she was getting...no. He definitely didn’t think it was unbearably cute and he definitely didn’t feel proud that he’d helped put that look on her face.

“Yes, you’re going about four miles an hour.” Jake teased, “You’re gonna need to move into second gear if you want to follow the rules of the road.”

“Okay, how do I do that?” Amy asked.

“You’re gonna let off the accelerator and gently push the clutch, change gears and then switch from clutch to accelerator again.” He explained carefully, “Speed is a factor here, so don’t be afraid. The car will keep rolling even if you step off the gas pedal.”

“I’ve got it.” Amy nodded surely, “I can do that.”

She went through the motions, clumsily switching gears. The ride got a little jerky as she did so, but she didn’t stall out and managed to shift into second gear and regain her smooth acceleration.

“Perfect.” Jake said, “As you gain speed you’re gonna need to keep switching up in gears, and the opposite as you approach a stop light. Think you got it?”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Amy nodded, glancing sideways at him with a smile, “Thanks.”

He shrugged, “It’s gonna take practice before it’s perfect, but you have the idea.” he looked out the window at the passing streets, “So why are you so determined to learn stick when clearly it makes you uncomfortable?”

Amy pursed her lips thoughtfully, but apparently decided to share, “My parents made all of my brothers learn it when they got their licenses. They said they should be ‘prepared’ in case they ever needed it in an emergency.” she frowned slightly, “But they never made me. It always made me feel like they didn’t think I was capable.” she shrugged, “I’ve never been a super confident driver, but...if it was important of them to learn, why not me?”

Jake looked at her with softening eyes, and he quietly said, “You know, you could’ve asked me. I would have taught you, Amy.”

Amy snorted, “When should I have asked you? Between solving cases or you making fun of me for knowing how to read?”

“Yeah, I guess I’m not exactly the most approachable, am I?” He admitted, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Amy replied, “It’s nice to have someone at work who challenges me. This bet made me top my own arrest records for the month. It was a good goal to set.”

“ _Competitive_ doesn’t fully encompass what you are.” Jake laughed, and then his face grew more somber as he asked her, “Do you think your parents didn’t teach you because you’re a girl?”

“Yeah.” Amy nodded, “I do.”

“That sucks.” Jake said stupidly, but he was unsure of what else to say. It wasn’t like he could fix ingrained gender inequality with one sentence.

“It does.” Amy smiled over at him, “But I’m closing the gap. Pretty soon I’ll be a pro, thanks to you.”

“Glad I could help the cause.” Jake mused, “Women everywhere should be thanking me.”

“Now _that’s_ taking it too far, stud.” Amy rolled her eyes.

“Third.” Jake gestured to the shifter as they turned on to a street that had a higher speed limit. Amy focused and shifted into third gear, still clumsy but a big improvement from her last one.

“So this car.” Amy said as she drove, glancing sideways at Jake, “What’s so special about it? It’s a piece of crap, why do you love it so much?”

Jake’s eyes combed affectionately over the familiar contours of his car, smiling a bit.

He sighed gently, and began speaking, “I was two days out of the academy, super nervous. Saw this guy run out of a bodega clutching a bunch of cash, so I pursued him on foot. Eleven blocks. Finally catch him, cuff him, and throw him up against this car.” he patted the dashboard lovingly, “Turns out there was a for sale sign in the window, and it being the best day of my life, I bought it. Thus began my debt.”

Amy chuckled, “ _Crushing_ debt.”

Their eyes met for a brief moment, before Amy looked back at the road, and Jake smiled, “Wow, you do know me.”

Before either of them could say any more, Jake’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He answered it quickly upon seeing the caller ID, “Captain.”

“Hello Peralta, it is Captain Raymond Holt. I need your help with something.”

“What’s up?” Jake asked.

“We’ve been tracking a crew that lifts cargo out of Laguardia. My C.I. knows where the trucks unload, so I need you to stake out the drop site tonight.”

Jake glanced over at Amy, whose tongue was poking out of her lips gently as she navigated the next turn. He said into the receiver, “I’m with Santiago, sir.”

“Excellent, then I won’t need to send for backup. Bring her along.”

Jake sighed, “Okay Cap. Send me the address.”

“I will. Thank you Detective.”

The line disconnected and Amy glanced over, “That was Holt?”

“Yeah, he’s got a little assignment for us tonight.” Jake told her, “Wanna pull over, and I’ll get us there?”

Amy nodded, and Jake walked her through how to properly stop before she pulled up to the curb and they switched seats to head for the dropsite while Jake briefed her. They quickly switched from casual conversation to work talk.

They ended up on a rooftop overlooking the dropsite to get a better vantage point. The two of them found a nice place to sit by the edge and Jake began rifling through his bag for some peanuts, he was getting snacky.

“Hey, thanks for coming to help me.” Amy said after a long while of just throwing peanuts at each other and laughing. Her tone was lighthearted, but had legitimate meaning beneath it, “You can keep your car.”

“What?” Jake demanded, wide-eyed, “No, Amy you won it fair and square like you said.”

“How about you keep it on one condition?” she advised, “You take me out driving at least once a week until I perfect it and can go to my brother’s house on Thanksgiving and make them all look like idiots when I drive his Volkswagen.”

Jake balked a bit; a guaranteed weekly meet up with Amy where they just drove around and talked and spent uninterrupted time together? And he got to keep his car? He wasn’t an idiot.

“I guess it’s worth it, to keep the car.” He agreed, acting as though it was an inconvenience. He didn’t want her to know how excited he was to be spending more time with her. More nights like these ones.

“So I have to ask.” Amy pursed her lips, looking over to meet Jake’s eyes, “What did you have planned for tonight, if you won?”

Looking at her now, face bathed in moonlight and passing headlights, Jake wanted to tell her that if he had his way, they’d be across from one another at a romantic Italian place, sharing wine and eating breadsticks. She'd see him as more than an obnoxious coworker, and he wouldn't have to conjure up elaborate bets or plans to finagle time with her outside of work. 

But he couldn’t. So he said, “I had some pretty stupid stuff lined up. There was going to be a choir, and a tiger. Oh, and a blue bar mitzvah dress.”

Amy shuddered, “Thank god we missed that.”

Jake snorted, “Like you’d rather be sitting on a rooftop working than hanging out with a _tiger_!”

Amy shook her head dismissively, but then chewed on her lower lip for a moment and looked up at Jake with some seriousness in her expression.

“I’ve actually had a pretty good night.” She told him seriously.

Jake forced himself to remain calm and not read into that too much, “Yeah? You enjoy jerking a car down the road like an escaped nursing home patient?”

Amy tossed a handful of peanuts at his face, but she was laughing good-naturedly, “You just wait! In two weeks I’m gonna drive stick better than you.”

“I honestly don’t doubt that.” Jake admitted, “You’re pretty terrifying when you put your mind to something.”

Her head tilted sideways as if that had genuinely touched her, “That’s actually a really nice compliment.”

“You are clinically insane.” Jake deadpanned.

Before Amy could bite back a witty retort, Jake’s phone rang again.

He said, “It’s the captain, hold on. Keep practicing with those peanuts.” He put the phone to his ear and jogged across the roof so he was just out of her earshot.

“What’s up Captain?” Jake asked.

“Peralta,” Holt’s voice came through the receiver calmly, “I found someone from the nightshift to relieve you from your stakeout, so you two can go home.”

“Oh.” Jake’s brows pulled up a bit at the offer. He could get back home and watch Die Hard with enough time to still get a decent five hours of sleep before work tomorrow.

Jake glanced behind him at Amy, who was still perched on the edge, tossing peanuts up in the air and flying sideways to catch them in her mouth. He smiled in spite of himself, and turned back away, speaking into the phone.

“Um...you know what Captain? Hold off on the relief team. We’re already here.”

“Are you sure?” Holt checked.

Jake had never been more certain when he replied, “Yes. We’re already here.” Jake looked back at Amy once more, and continued speaking.

“Plus...I’m curious to see what happens.”


End file.
